


And His Eyes Were Watching God

by maybegracie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, and zayn is the new bad boy, niall is the preachers son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-21
Updated: 2013-04-24
Packaged: 2017-12-09 03:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybegracie/pseuds/maybegracie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of a boy with a big secret, and another who kept it. OR The one where Niall is the preacher's son and Zayn is the new boy in town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Genesis

Niall wasn't like the other boys in his church group. He wasn't like the boys on his football team. In fact, Niall didn't fit in anywhere.  
And he certainly couldn't hang out with girls. That was social suicide.  
It wasn't that he was bad at sports, or didn't have enough faith. It was the fact that hidden in the very back of his closet, he had a large poster of Justin Bieber. It was the fact that while the other boys were asking girls to prom, Niall was staring while they got changed after gym.  
To be honest, his differentness terrified him.

-

Niall met Harry in his freshmen year. Not in school, though They had met in a music store.  
Harry had taken poor, little, conflicted Niall under his wing and explained everything. How some boys didn't like girls, and how it was fine.  
Harry had a boyfriend, Louis, who taught him, too They set him up with his first real boyfriend, Josh. They had secretly dated for two months, until Josh dumped him.  
Josh hadn't understood. He couldn't see why they were a secret/ He didn't understand why Niall didn't want his family to know.  
Niall wasn't stupid. He learned about his family's views on homosexuality and how disgusting it was. He heard Greg mutter 'fag' when he saw two girls holding hands. Niall didn't want them to hate him.  
SO he kept it a secret, and promised himself that one day, he would get out, and fall in love, and be himself. Finally.

-

 

Zayn Malik was an enigma. He was silent, gorgeous, intelligent, and just about anything else that would make a girl fall head over heels in love.  
At least, that was what people told him. He didn't try to be mysterious, or smart, or attractive. If he were being honest, Zayn didn't think he was any of those things.  
He was just strange  
Zayn knew he was gay. He figured it out in sixth grade when Jenny Adams kissed him and it took him days to get the feel of lip gloss out of his mouth. His family didn't believe him until he was a junior in high school. And they were fine with it. Life went on. Zayn got bullied at school, so he learned tae-kwan-do, and kicked everyone's ass who tried to hurt him.  
This got him in trouble more often than not. No matter how many times he explained it his teachers couldn't get the concept of self-defense in their giant heads.  
So Zayn left. He bounced from school to school, and then they moved, because there were no schools left.  
It was on Zayn's 3rd school in his senior year of high school that he met Niall Horan.

-

Zayn kicked the pebble that he had been toying with. The new town was boring as hell, and there wasn't a bartender stupid enough to sell to a minor for miles. It was Hell on Earth.  
He pulled out a cigarette and his lighter, lighting the cig with skill and taking a long drag. The road was deserted, save for a young boy about his age sitting in front of a small chapel.  
The boy was on his phone, his curls disfiguring his face.  
Just as Zayn was about to turn around, the door to the chapel burst open, and a young, blonde man his age came bounding down the stairs, taking them two at a time.  
The curly haired boy stood, brushing off his pants and grinning.  
"Hey, Ni," he said.  
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Haz. I had to put away the candles!" the blonde said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.  
"S'fine, " 'Haz' replied. "Let's go, Louis is waiting for us down at at Tom's."  
The blonde nodded, and followed Haz around the back of the church and climbed on a bike.  
"Race you," Haz grinned. The other must have nodded, because Haz raced off, kicking up dirt. The boy laughed and rode after him.  
Zayn couldn't help but wish that the two boys had noticed him. It would be nice to have a friend, even a Bible worshiper.

-

"Did you see that guy?" Harry asked, leaning against the wall as Niall locked his bike. Harry didn't use a lock, claiming that 'no one in this town steals except for me, and who wants this piece of shit, anyway?'  
"What guy?" he replied, standing up and turning to face Harry, eyebrows knitted together.  
"The Greek God walking down the road and totally checking you out," Harry exclaimed, grabbing Niall's hand and tugging him into Tom's, the best tiny bar/diner/hang out in town.  
"You're kidding me, right?" Niall rolled his eyes. "As if he would look at me."  
"Give yourself a little credit," Harry waved to Louis, who was sipping at a frilly pink drink. "You're gorgeous, Niall, and your accent is totally to die for."  
Louis nodded as they reached his table. "Totally," he echoed, reaching out and intertwining his and Harry's hands.  
"I don't believe you," Niall sighed, plopping down on a stool and waving over a waiter. "A vanilla milkshake. Extra whipped cream. Thanks."  
"What doesn't he believe?" Louis asked, finally realizing that he didn't know what they were talking about.  
"A new boy who was checking out Nialler here," Harry shoved Niall playfully.  
"How how was he?"  
"Nine point three."  
"Go for it, Niall!" Louis screeched, taking a long gulp of his 'virgin' drink. Harry plucked the beverage from his grasp.  
"I think that's enough, Lou," he chastised, and Louis just smiled.  
Niall couldn't stop wondering who the gorgeous stranger was and why he thought that Niall, of all people, was worth looking at.


	2. Exodus

Church was boring. hell, it wasn't boring, but after hearing his father practice the readings, and his sermon, the jokes got old and putting on all the fake smiles got exhausting.  
So when he burst through the front doors of the church, and the crisp Autumn air hit him, he was relieved.  
Niall had never been good in confined places.  
He heard a cough and turned toward the sound, meeting eyes with, quite possible, the most attractive human being in existence.  
The boy had dark hair that was styled artfully, and large dark eyes that Niall wanted to swim in forever.  
The boy blushed and stood up, looking for a quick escape.  
"Don't leave," Niall pleaded, jumping down the steps and coming face to face with the boy.  
"My name is Niall. What's yours?"  
-  
Niall was perfect. His blonde hair fell in just the right way, his big blue eyes sparkled, and his smile was infectious.  
He was the kind of boy you read about in romance novels, not the kind you met when you were smoking in front of a church on Sunday morning.  
"Zayn Malik."  
"Well, Zayn Malik, I haven't seen you before, and I've seen everyone in this town. So the only conclusion I could think of was that you are new," Niall said, his mouth twitching in and out of his bright grin. "So tell me, where does the mysterious Zayn Malik come from?"  
"Bradford," Zayn muttered. he didn't meet the boy's eyes.  
"I've never been to Bradford," Niall said thoughtfully. Zayn looked up to see the blonde bite his lip endearingly. "Is it nice?"  
"I s'ppose so," Zayn shrugged, the fabric of his jacket rustling.  
"How old are you, Zayn Malik?" Niall went on, failing to hold back a grin.  
"Seventeen."  
"Me too!" Niall exclaimed. Zayn glanced up to see Niall practically bounce at his new discovery.  
"So you'll be a senior?" Niall asked, rocking back on his heels.  
"Yeah."  
"Brilliant!" Niall yelled. Zayn's head snapped up in surprise. "My friend Liam is a senior, as well."  
Zayn nodded, twisting one of his bracelets.  
"Oh! And sorry, but its kind of required. Are you Christian?"  
Zayn sighed. "No."  
"Oh thank God," Niall said, running a hand through his hair. "I'm tired of all this religious shit."  
Zayn cocked his head in confusion.  
"Oh, you don't know?" Zayn shook his head. "My dad is the preacher here. Lucky me."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, its awful. I mean, imagine-"  
Niall was cut off by a voice calling for him.  
Niall blushed and gestured towards the direction of the voice.  
"God's messenger?" Zayn grinned.  
"Lucifer's second-in-command. My brother, Greg. That's my cue. But hey, I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"  
Zayn nodded as Niall walked back to the chapel.  
"I hope so..."  
-  
They did see each other again. The next day, in fact.  
It was the first day of Niall's senior year. Niall had been lucky enough that his town didn't have a Catholic all-boys' high school, so he had to go to the public school.  
He had just settled down in his seat at the back of his math class when Zayn Malik walked in. Several of the girls perked up and sat up, pushing out their chests and fixing their hair. Zayn couldn't care less, it seemed.  
Niall sat up, too, waving his hands in the air to catch Zayn's attention.  
Zayn raised an eyebrow, but never-the-less squeezed past the girls to slide into the seat next to Niall.  
"Hey!" Niall exclaimed, his eyes twinkling at Zayn.  
He grinned back. "Hey yourself, Blondie."  
At the nickname, Niall's cheeks heated up, much to Zayn's amusement.  
Niall's hand's reached up to cover his blush, and then reached out to slap Zayn's arm.  
"Asshole," Niall muttered.  
"Are you going to introduce us, Niall?" the brunette boy behind him muttered through clenched teeth.  
"Oh, yeah," Niall laughed. "Zayn, this is my oldest buddy, Liam. Li, this is my newest buddy, Zayn Malik."  
Zayn nodded, and Liam stuck out his hand for a stiff handshake which Zayn hesitantly returned.  
"Zayn Malik."  
"Liam Payne. Nice to meet you."  
"Likewise," Zayn smiled tightly as Niall grinned.  
"This is great! Hey, Liam!" Niall suddenly turned to Liam. "I can't come over to study today. I have to do something with Greg."  
Liam shrugged. "Alright."  
Zayn stole glances at Niall through the whole lesson.  
-  
So Niall had told a miniscule, insignificant white lie. But Liam was a good Catholic boy, and he certainly wouldn't approve of Niall hanging out with a bunch of gay men.  
Niall was sporting a mild sweat by the time he reached his table. It was always a scary time. He sat with Liam and a few other boys from his church, and for some reason, Niall had a fear of them somehow smelling the homosexuality on him, or something equally impossible.  
Niall nodded at some of the boys and set down his tray. He scanned over the heads in the cafeteria until he landed on a tall black quiff sitting alone. Niall smiled apologetically at the other boys and slipped through the swarms of people until he came to Zayn's table.  
"Hey there," he muttered. Zayn looked up from his lunch and raised a brow.  
"Hi. Niall, right?" Zayn said, leaning back in his chair to gesture to the seat Niall was already sitting in. "Take a seat, I guess."  
Niall grinned and sipped his chocolate milk. Zayn blinked at the blonde boy before shaking his head and smiling.  
Niall could feel the blood rush through his veins. Zayn had a really nice smile.  
"So, Zayn I-Don't-Know-Your-Middle-Name Malik," Niall grinned at his cheap shot at a joke, and Zayn swallowed a giggle. "What brings you and your fabulous hair to little old Mullingar, Ireland?"  
Zayn shrugged. "I guess just a change of scenery."  
They sat in silence for a few moments before Niall spoke.  
"Do you want to hand out after school?"  
Zayn's brow furrowed. "I thought..."  
"I just tell Liam that because he would tell my parents about the crowd I hang around with," Niall shrugged, pushing around his food with a fork. "So, do you wanna?


End file.
